Four out of four for Garma

ILOILO City — Two-time Asian Seniors champion IM Chito Garma swept  his first four assignments with surpising ease to take the lead in the Chess Legend: GM Eugene Torre 75th birthday rapid chess tournament at the Iloilo City Diamond Jubilee Hall here Thursday.

Garma, who is best remembered for winning the Asian Seniors Chess Championships  in 2018 and 2023,  swept Gilzenhover Ebit, AIM Felixberto Baguyo Jr., Karlo Britanico and Leonel Escote to take the headstart in this two-day tournament organized by the One Chess Movement in cooperation with the Iloilo City government, Philippine Sports Commission and PAGCOR.

Sharing the limelight were top seed  FM Christian Mark Daluz, No. 8 FM Raymond Salcedo and unheralded Cyril Telesforo, who also hurdled  their respective opponents in the first four rounds.

Daluz whipped Carl Robert Magahin, WCM Mira Mirano, Ferdinand Leysa and Lennon Hart Salgados;  Salcedo humbled Roel Jerry Juarez, Emesio Orlina III and Arian Atillaga and Josevito Tapulgo; and Telesforo downed Ranulfo Sumagaysay, AGM Spencer Singson, Diovic Nalam and Jomar Funoan to share the lead with Garma with perfect scores of four points.

Nine players, led by No.6 NM Vince Angelo Medina and No. 25 Alexis Emil Maribao, share  fifth  to 13th places with 3.5 points in the tournament, which attracted a total of 166 players  from all over the country.

Medina defeated Dillon Intila, while Maribao outplayed Vivencio Mastilero, Jr. to  remain within striking distance.

NM Fritz Bryan Porras outduelled NM Marc Christian Nazario,  Robert Amarrador bested NM Cesar Mariano, and Paul Pamonag toppled NM Rolando  Andador to join the list of 3.5 pointers.

At stake in the rapid tournament are cash  prizes, with the champion bringing home the lion’s share of P50,000 and a trophy.

The runner-up will earn P25,000, the third placer will pocket P15,000, the fourth placer P10,000, and the fifth placer P8,000.

Cash prizes will also be given to the 6th through 20th placers.

The top individual performers in the Senior, Junior, Lady, and Kiddies categories will also get cash prizes, alongside the top three players from  host Iloilo.

In the Team Tatluhan scheduled on Nov.  7–8 at the same venue, the champion will pocket the top prize of P100,000.

The runner-up will get P50,000, the third placer P30,000, the fourth placer P20,000, and the fifth placer P15,000. 

The sixth through 15th placers will also bring home cash prizes